Context: Factors such as social origin, ethnic-cultural background, family composition,... together determine how the school career of children and young people will turn out. Children and young people of immigrant origin struggle more often than others with backwardness at school and more frequently fail to attain their secondary education diploma, to the detriment of their integration into society.

Aims:

General

• form an inducement to offer vulnerable pupils more opportunities of success;
• form a positive lever in the debate surrounding origins and school backwardness;
• provide extra support to parents and teachers.

Primary education

• increase pupils’ opportunities by motivating them and by regularly training them to achieve better school results and a more positive self-image, etc.;
• introduce buddies to vulnerable immigrant and indigenous children.

Secondary education

• for young people to flow through to higher education due to extra support;
• ‘teach how to learn’ and motivate pupils who have opted for a suitable direction of study;
• with other pupils to consider another direction which is better related to their own capacities and interests;
• to train future teachers in handling diversity.

The project runs in 8 primary schools in each of which 5 to 8 buddies are active and in 15 secondary schools in each of which 8 buddies are active. In primary education the buddy helps the child twice a week at school, after school hours, with homework, language and reading. In secondary education the tutor likewise guides the pupil twice a week at school after school hours, for an hour and a half. The buddy coaches the pupil in doing the homework and studying: teaching how to learn, making plans, concentrating.

• Each semester of the 2009-2010 school year about 150 tutors worked with around 300 pupils, mainly in secondary education.
• Half of the guided children from the primary school are of immigrant origin. They react very positively because they receive extra information and tutoring and attention.
• In secondary education a third of the guided young people are of immigrant origin. They generally also react positively because of the push in the back for their school career and the bond between them and the tutor.
• In secondary education strikingly fewer B and C certificates were given to pupils who were guided by a buddy.

• The training of the starting tutors is always evaluated and directed. The evolution of the pupils is followed via consultation between teachers and the school coordinators.
• After each semester a conversation takes place between the project coordinator and the school coordinators to discuss how the children are progressing.
• After each semester a meeting is organised with all the school coordinators to whom proposals are made to improve the project.
• In the following school year (2010-2011) students will make an evaluation of the buddy project as part of their thesis.

• Children from the first 2 years of primary and secondary education with learning or language deficit or with a lack of home support receive free guidance.
• Future teachers acquire experience.
• Teachers are relieved by the buddies.

• The salary costs of the full-time project coordinators employed by Leuven city are € 41,000/year.
• Operating costs: €4,650/year Total: €46,650.
• Half of the staff costs of the project coordinators have up to now been financed by the Flemish Integration Ministry – Diversity Project Managers (€20,500), the other half by the King Baudouin Foundation.
• The operating costs are financed via the city’s own means.